History
Issues
of San Francisco
We meet every 4th Wednesday of the month, 11 AM, at the GP office.
We are currently reading "A
Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright.
The Gray Panther Book Club was started
by members of the Civil Liberties Committee. In researching the origins
of the Patriot Act and other repressive legislation, we became aware of
how much we had forgotten or never knew about American history. Howard
Zinn's People's History of the United States is, as the NY Times Book
Review puts it, "…a reversal of perspective, a reshuffling of
heroes and villains." He writes about ordinary people, and their
struggles against economic and political exploitation. The information
he presents on some of the "heroes" of American history is an
eye-opener.
Because the book is densely written and takes time to digest, we decided to read a few chapters a month and meet for discussion. We encourage all members to join us, even if you haven't read the chapters we've already covered. Chapters for discussion are listed in the calendar. After we finish Zinn's book, we'll decide whether to do another.
As we always end up talking about other books as well,
we're developing a reading list. So far, Book Club members have recommended
the following books: